I saw Loro Piana stores all the time in Italy, and I even walked past it nearly every day on my way home from school when I was living in Florence... so I was really surprised when it suddenly became a *thing* a few years back because people like Mark Zuckerberg was wearing their sweaters or something. And I was even more surprised when they suddenly expanded into leather handbags--something which they were previously not known for at all. I don't think I ever even saw a single leather good in their shop windows. And then I was even mooore shocked when people were hyping it up as part of the whole quiet luxury/ stealth wealth/ IYKYK bandwagon (the bag, not the brand. The brand itself has long been known for cashmere). We don't have any LP boutiques here in Manila (that I know of), so I knew that when I encountered a shop again abroad, I would have to go in to do some sneaky inspecting.
Didn't really have time to peruse while I was in Florence earlier this year, but I did spot this in the window in Hong Kong a couple of months ago and knew I had to enter the shop.
Loro Piana's Extra Bag (this was the L27, I believe, which retails for 3500USD or so) actually looks better in this larger size. Online, I kept seeing the smaller one which had always been meme'd side-by-side with the Longchamp pouch that looks very very similar and is a mere fraction of the price. That small one (which I also took photos of, further down below in this post) definitely looks cheaper and less refined.
While this larger size looks sleeker, I don't know that it's worth the 3500$ price tag. It seems like pricing that's just to match the rest of their stuff, but not necessarily in line with the quality of the actual bag itself.
This looks machine-sewn. Good consistency of stitches overall. You can see where they've finished/ ended the stitches by hand (the stitch that's doubled), but if this were all hand-stitched then the stitches would have a more consistent tilt/ slant.
See how it's only 4-5 stitches prior to the end stitch that's slanted? In bag factories, they usually sew the majority by machine, and leave the threads long for someone else to finish it by hand. Sometimes it's because it's a section of the bag that will need reinforcement anyway, or maybe it's so that they can market it as being handmade? Sometimes it's because it's a section of the bag that can't be reached by the machine (although that doesn't seem to be the case here). Who knows.
Another little tell for me that this wasn't sewn by hand is that if you see the seam on the left where the top of the bag folds over--see how the last stitch follows the straightness of the rest of the stitches, instead of following the leather veering a little to the right? If this were done by hand, the artisan would slant the stitch to the right at the end so that there is enough allowance between the edge of the leather and the line of stitches.
Inside, the material is suede-like but not quite, so I suspect that it is similar to LV's tote and is using just microfibre cloth (i know!)
There is also a little built in wallet/ coin purse inside, but I find the bag quite hard to open (you can see how the SA has to maneuver to get the bag opening wide enough to even show me the interior wallet) without getting your hands and stuff scratched up on the teeth of the metal zipper (on the other hand--pickpocket deterrent? hahaha) but maybe that's just something a worrywart like me would think about :))
For the strap, I also prefer that they've done this continuous two-way strap instead of the short top handle which makes it look very much like the Longchamp pouch.
All in all, the L27 looks OK, and is a good size. What I'm not sold on: this type of side-access zippered opening, and the price tag. At this price point, I would get a Valextra instead (which is also machine sewn but whose finishing looks more pristine to me) or a Moreau (which has hand-sewn bags although recent expansion leads me to think some items are no longer all-handmade). Just a few of my grails haha
Now, we move onto the small one. The original version I'd been seeing online, and the one that looks like the Longchamp pouch. This is the Extra Pocket:
I mean, this thing is like 2500€ for the calfskin, and this snakeskin one is like almost 5000USD. That's just crazy pricing.
The only detail on the Extra Pocket that's more luxe than the Extra is the lining: it's leather compared to what was likely microfiber in that other one.
I mean. This is so not worth it.
Zooming in, you can see how the edge finish is also kinda dirty-looking already. At these prices, you really have to nitpick because you're paying so much for literally so little.
I also spotted these Extra Pocket backpacks that actually look cuter and look more functional than the Extra Pocket. But these babies are also nearly 3500€. It just seems so disproportionate to me.
Well, there you have my 2 or 3 cents. Have you tried the Loro Piana Extra or Extra Pocket bags? Would love to hear feedback from people who've been using it or who've encountered anything especially positive or negative about them!
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